Cotton-picker.



PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

R. E. GHEBSMAN. COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3.1907.

v A TTOAWEYS ROY EARL CHEESMAN, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA.-

COTTON-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908.

Application filed April 3, 1907. Serial No. 366,179.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoY EARL CHEEs- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Cotton-Picker, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to implements for picking cotton by hand and its object is to provide a simple, durable and eflicient device of this character which can be manufactured at slight cost and which can be easily held in the hand and readily manipulated.

A still further object is to provide a picker of this character made entirely of wire and which is provided with rests or guards for the fingers whereby the implement can be used without discomfort to the operator.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device; and Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 and 2 are lengths of spring wire twisted together at their middle portions as shown at 3, saidtwisted portion being bent so as to form two oppositely bowed shanks A and B formed of o posite end portions of the wires 1 and 2. ne end of wire 1 constitutes a prong 3 and. the adjoining end portion of the wire 2 is twisted around the wire 1 and thence bent laterally as at 4 andextended parallel with the prong 3 as shown at 5. A t rd prong 6 is arranged at the other side of the prong 3 and is formed of a wire having a looped portion 7 which is twisted around the engaging end portions of the wires 1 and 2. The end of this loop is extended outward from the shank and is curved to form a guard or abutment 8 for the first finger of the hand of the operator. As shown in Fig. 2 this guard extends substantially perpendicularly to the plane occupied by the fork made up of the prongs 3, 5 and 6. The end ortions of the wires constituting the shanr B are twisted about each other as shown at 9 and terminate in parallel prongs 10 designed,

when the shanks A and B are drawn together,

to move between the prongs '3, 5 and 6. The twisted portions 9 extend around a short wire 11 one end of which is twisted about the head-12 of the fork formed by prongs 10 while the other end of said wire 11 is curved away from shank B to form' a thumb rest 13. As shown particularly in Fig. 2 this thumb rest is disposed substantially at right angles to the plane occupied by the shanks A and B. y

In using the device herein described the same is grasped, with the first or index finger pressing against the guard 8 and with the thumb bearing against the rest 13. The shanks A and B being formed of spring metal serve to hold the two forks normally spread apart. By inserting two forks into opposite portions of the calyx of the cotton plant and drawing them toward each other the cotton will be gripped therebetween and can be easily removed. By providing one fork with two prongs and the other fork with three prongs the prongs will work between one an other and when gripping the cotton will hold itrnore securely than where the prongs of the two forks move in the same planes.

It will be seen that this arrangement is very simple and durable in construction and can be manufactured at slight cost and can be conveniently carried. As it is very light it can be easily mani ulated and by providing the guard 8 and t e rest 13 discomfort to the user is revented.

What I c aim is:

An implement for picking cotton consistmg of integral op ositely disposed shanks each consisting so ely of connected spring wires and movable toward or from each other, a fork at the free end of each shank, a finger guard extending laterally from one of the shanks and in the lane of movement of said shanks, and a tliumb rest upon the other shank and disposed erpendicularly to the plane of movement 0 the shanks, said finger uard being integral with a tine of one of the forks.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROY EARL OHEESMAN.

Witnesses:

DAVID H. FLYNN, JOHN W. WARNER. 

